


comfort and confront

by bleebug



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: 6x12, Canon Compliant, Captain Charming - Freeform, Gen, Missing Scene, headcanon scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-10-04 07:42:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10271681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bleebug/pseuds/bleebug
Summary: Killian comforts a distraught David outside of George's cell. (Missing scene from 6x12: A Murder Most Foul)





	

Killian could honestly say he’d never seen David break down like this. Not after a lost boy had left a deadly, blackened slash against his ribs in Neverland, believing he might not ever make it off the island with his life, and that he would possibly never see his wife or daughter or grandchild ever again. Not when a certain wicked redhead made off with his newborn baby boy to enact a spell, the consequences of which weren’t entirely foreseeable as far as the babe’s safety was concerned. Not when Emma was struggling in Camelot and he knew that David wished for nothing more than to soothe her, to quell the darkness and give her some peace.

He was Prince bloody Charming, and while Killian had seen him lose his cool in bursts of rage or even frozen with terror… he had never, ever seen the man sobbing so uncontrollably, tears wetting his cheeks relentlessly like a wee babe that couldn’t be consoled.

And he wasn’t entirely sure how to help ease his pain. He just knew that he desperately wanted to, and not just because this was Emma’s father and the man he might someday jokingly call _father_  just to rile him up, but because he had grown acutely fond of him in their time together.

Truly, he was like a brother. Similar to Liam, but different in enough ways that he could never mistake the two. But the respect was there, and a tad of hero-worship if he were honest, and above all the unequivocal knowledge that they had each other’s backs when things got tough. (Even, oftentimes, the same feeling of inadequacy he used to feel in his older brother’s presence – magnified several times over thanks to his relationship with David’s beloved daughter.)

His knee was sore from kneeling for so long but he didn’t move, continuing to cradle the back of his sandy brown head of hair as he cried against his shoulder. Both of David’s hands were gripping his arm, holding it in place like he needed the contact or he’d just crumple to pieces.

“It’s all right, mate. I’ve got you.”

Killian was damn well near to tears himself, but managed to speak the words without choking up too much. He felt David nod against him, but he couldn’t reply, occupied as his lungs were with merely trying to stay functioning.

“I’ve got you,” he repeated softly.

It might have been minutes, it felt more like an hour at least, that they stayed there on the floor. When David’s grasp on his arm loosened and they hesitantly pulled away from each other, he wasn’t at all surprised to see a red tint across the man’s cheeks as he furiously wiped at them to remove the evidence of his meltdown.

“Uh… thanks.” He sniffled a few times and cleared his throat. His voice sounded very much like the sad croak of a frog, but Killian wasn’t about to mention that. “Sorry about your jacket.”

Killian shrugged, trying his best to ease the tension by not making a huge deal of it all. “Just a bit of salt water, mate, like the ocean spray. I think it’ll survive.”

David chuckled uneasily, avoiding direct eye contact as his hand reached behind to scratch at the back of his neck.

“I… could you…?” Killian waited patiently for him to find his words. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to not ever mention this to anyone?”

He could have joked about it, but he sensed that now was not the time.

“Aye, you have my word.”

He nodded and finally met his gaze, the whites of his eyes still tinged pink.

“Thanks, Hook… Killian.”

He replied with nothing more than a smile, a little forced but not insincere. The silence that followed felt more awkward than anything else and he was glad when David slapped a hand on his shoulder and gave a quick smile before standing.

“I, uh… I think I need some fresh air after all that. Give me a few minutes, yeah?”

Killian nodded his agreement and watched as David turned and walked back the way he came.

His hand itched to reach into his pocket and finger the little box that was still causing him so much stress, even after the crazy events from the past day. Was now the right time? Should he leave David a night to come to terms with his own issues? He didn’t want to do any more harm if, in fact, David’s blessing was not so easily earned.

Ah, but he wouldn’t know that, would he, unless he just damn well asked the man? That bloody cricket’s voice was chirruping in his head and Killian found himself actually listening.

_Now or never,_ he thought. He took a deep breath and began trekking down the hallway after the man he hoped would someday be his father-in-law. _Now or never_.


End file.
